Bottled H2 Oh-No!

tap water is just as good, if you live in most cities. but, think about this. floride is a topical agent, and only works if applied to a surface and used with an abrasive agent. so why did the government allow the adding of floride to water if we ingest it? doing little to no good for us, except engesting a chimical if we want to or not? including that floride water has been linking to illnesses in children? but, since the use chemincals to purify it it taints the taste. my opinion is well water is safer and taste better.

now, i admit some water thats bottled is treated and cleaned, but that just adds to societies fear of germs. but, our body is made to fight most germs and bacteria in water. drinking bottle water reduces our ability to fight off normal germs and bacteria that come with everday water. and can add to us getting sick.

I remember growing up we use to joke that they should sell bottled water in vending machines for the same price as soda. Guess we were on to something, its more that soda.

We as kids (with empty minds) were onto something and with empty minds, did not even know it.

According to WHO guidelines, fluoride in water should be maintained < 1.5 ppm. 0.2-1.0 ppmfluoride in water has been scientifically demonstratd to reduce dental cavities. Higher than 1.5 ppm is not recommended because long term exposure can lead to fluoridosis.

Certain areas of Kenya and East/South Africa have levels of 25 ppm or higher. Yes, in those area, fluoridosis is more common.

Yes fluoride can be used topically for prevention of dental cavities. In fact, I was part of one of the first test groups to receive the topical treatments (in ~1950). I believe this led to fluoridation of toothpastes.

I had to look up to see what flouride does, I knew or should say that it was told to me that it prevents tooth decay by spreading a coverage over your teeth?????

but is this correct, but how. I look it up fyi

I think you mean fluo·ro·sis

Water fluoridation

Main article: Water fluoridation

Fluoride containing compounds such as sodium fluoride, calcium fluoride, and sodium monofluorophosphate are commonly added to toothpaste, drinking water, prescribed treatments, and other commercially available oral hygiene products because fluoride increases the resistance of the enamel to decay. Originally, sodium fluoride was used to fluoridate water; however, hexafluorosilicic acid (H₂SiF₆) and its salt sodium hexafluorosilicate (Na₂SiF₆) are more commonly used, especially in the United States.

Some studies suggest that fluoridation is associated with a median decline in the number of children with cavities of 12.5%, and a median decline of 2.25 teeth with cavities. ^[4] The fluoridation of water is not without critics, however (see Water fluoridation controversy).

I have to disagree on two things.

1) Flouride: Sure, this has been a subject of much passionate debate but I know this much. We are raising four children already well into their teenage years. Out of all four kids, only one cavity in all those teeth and that was due in large part to the tooth (baby tooth) having a defect when it erupted from the gum. My wife and I both have more than just a few fillings and we both used flouride toothpaste and had regular dental care throughout life. The difference is the flouride in the municipal water. Neither of us had it until much later in our adult life. No new cavities either!

2) Bacteria: Beneficial vs. Hazardous. Go ahead and mix some lysteria into your drinking water. It will make you stronger as long as it doesn't kill you first. At the same time, go ahead and eat raw hamburger, and get some good e.coli. While you're at it, undercook your chicken so you can get a healthy dose of solmonella. Don't wash your hands and just dump your waste out the back door. The developed nations of this world have come a long way at improving health due to such actions as disinfected water supplies, sanitary waste systems, and food handling codes. We get exposed to plenty of germs in the normal course of life. We don't walk around in sterile bubbles. Come on, my father-in-law believes using anti-bacterial soap creates super-germs. Ignorance is a powerful force in our society. Anti-bacterial soap is not antibiotic soap!! There is a huge difference. Using it does not create stronger germs. Keeping our bodies well fed, rested, exercised, and cleansed keeps us strong, not the exposure to unnecessary risks.

Tell me this, if a person that is kept in a strile environment, and one that has had low levels exposure to bacteria.

Which one would be more hardy healthwise speaking?

The one who was exposed to low levels of bacteria I would guess....he would not drop dead at the first sign of some bacterial infection as his body would have learnt to cope!!

I said exposure to germs in the normal course of life. I am by no means suggesting that we live in a sterile environment. I am not a "clean" nut, I just believe that certain practices have been shown to be prudent. If you want to see what happens with poor hygiene (food, waste, people, etc) go to a third world country. There you will find hardy people. That's because 1 in 3 never made it past the age of four. If you can live with those odds, that's fine.

I know what you said Brave Sir Robin,

But the point I was getting at, which I believe you are also, is that finding a medium between the two.

e.i. To say; only drink water that was processed or to say drink only well water. either one statement is extreme.

Because there are out breaks with both.

Obviously disinfection of water is a good practice, though use of chlorine or chloramine may not be the best option. Prior to the disinfection of public water supplies, drinking water sources were the most common pathway for major outbreaks. However, well water is frequently not disinfected except residual levels, because the aquifer is assumed to function as a filter removing bacteria. Well water, on the other hand, is highly variable and frequently above national drinking water standards in many toxic and carcinogenic chemical compounds such as arsenic, selenium, chromium, flouride, nitrates, etc.. In these cases the regulated community wells are diluted with other water sources or purified to levels just under the national standards. Surface water typically receive more treatment, since it has more solids and pathogens to remove. however, once in a while the treatment process fails and something gets through, usually in a high dosage. In the end water quality from municipal supplies depends on the wealth of the community and how much they are willing to spend on purifying water. Many time bottled water is just filtered city water from places like LA and Fresno, so you end up paying for the marketing and packaging since this is the main difference in the cost between a bottle of water and equivalent volume of tap water if you live in a reasonably new larger community with modern infrastructure. I would almost bet you could buy a bottle, an activated carbon filter, and municipal water cheaper.

antibacterial soap would lead to resistant strains of bacteria over enough generations of bacteria with exposure. The question just becomes how long. Many generations of exposure to peroxides has made animal cells resistant to exposure to peroxide.

It's the chlorine i object to [in tap water], Hdpe is a good choice for water bottles, it's sort of milky white, nalgene doesn't have a monopoly on inert plastic [hdpe]. having a convient quanitity to drink, will keep you from drinking soda's. A good filter is actually better than bottled, bottles are packaged w/ carbonic acid as a preservative?, I'm not positive on that point, I do know that bottled water has to age a bit before it's ready to drink!

Marketing (commercial term)

Public Relations (industrial/government term)

Perception Management (military term and the most correct name for it)

The many names of mind control based on the different reasons for doing so.

In the UK around the London area, the water tastes awful, most people have special filter jugs (or built in filter cartridges to a tap) to make it potable.....

That happened when a previous government sold off all the water rights to private companies....

in Germany the water is great, I only hope that they do not get the same idea at some point to sell it all off to a company that needs to make profits!!

Also, how much fuel is burnt bringing the bottled stuff home and returning the empties or putting them in the rubbish???

Hi Andy, Yes you are right our previous government did sell off the London Water to a private company, but the company in question is German owned? Spencer.

You have jumped on this point with great glee, but I do not see how that plays a role really. these companies are all out to make top dollar, with the least effort, no matter where they come from. I am against the privatization of water, Gas and Electricity personally....

If the UK sells out to foreign companies, its up to them....might it taste better if it had been a French company? The water in Paris in the 50's & 60's would make most non French ill, how it is today I cannot say.....

I seriously doubt if the German company in question has anything to do with German drinking water and that was the point! We still have "area" water and water treatment here...

Perhaps you could name the company and its whereabouts in Germany so that I can check up on that point, only if you wish of course....

Potable or palatable? There is a difference.

You are exactly right! Thanks for the correction, I meant palatable of course!

Tap water is just as good and in many cases safer than the bottled water sold at the market. The bottled water industry has grown enormously over recent years because of the fear based mentality pushed upon us by the media and advertising. They are "quaking in their boots" over the facts being put forward by governmental studies. If you doubt it, just look at some of their industry pubs.

I agree, we had a well on the farm, it was shallow and had surface water for about 1 week of the year in the spring, which made it undrinkable. but the remainder of the year was great. When we had to have contractors build something on the farm. They actually bottled it and took it home. Because as they said it tasted sweet.

Probally because of the limestone, When I moved to the city, I could taste the chemicals.

But when I'm thirsty, what ever is available is fine.

Bottled water is not better for the body. It is actually acidic, and may be causing more harm than good. A really good water filter is important.

Check out the blog www.KangenWaterReport.com. This is a great resource, and provides information on a variety of topics, including water, health, plastic, and so on.

There is a remedy to all this, and it's called "Reverse Osmosis".

Reverse Osmosis filtration systems are the most extreme filtration available today, and affordable enough for the home market. Such systems may sale for about $ 200 and a complete 5 filter set for about $ 50, which you have to replace once a year ,with average home drinking and cooking consumption.

The system is so efficient you can actually "drink sewer water once passed through the system", as they claim.

I bought such system last year, and I can tell you that the water have a very neutral taste, maybe slightly bitter, certainly not sour or acidic. The acidic taste, is said to result from soluble salts present, usually metal oxides salination, which change the Ph level of neutral water.

There is absolutley nothing wrong with tap water, I drink it all of the time (in my whisky) Joking apart, the regulatory requirements for the provision of drinking water within the UK are seriousley strict. Anybody who prefers to buy a bottle of water for a couple of pound instead of just turning on the tap needs their head examined.

In my opinion the biggest reason for people drinking bottled water is that they see themselves as being trendy and with it. NOT ON YOUR NELLY.

What, water mixed in Single Malt? What blasphemy! Spencer.

I always thought that the only thing to goes with whiskey is ice.......

No....its another whiskey please!

I tend to agree that Tap water is safe in the UK, it just tastes terrible in some areas without the special filter jugs etc..

Taste is important too, not just that it is relatively cheap and will not kill you!

I drink only tap water at home in Germany and I know some areas of England where I will drink it too.....some areas !....

I would assume that the UK has secondary standards for taste and odor, and other characterisitcs of water that may adversely effect the distribution system much like the US does. Additionally, the Germans own most of the private companies that handle water distribution in the US also. Recently there has been some backlash over this since they do not provide adequate local service. The American Water Company, and all subsidiaries, are owned by a German parent corporation.

Hi Guest, You assume wrong! Where I live and most other places in the UK have excellent drinking water staight out of the domestic tap! Our water is filtered through either granite or limestone, and I bottle my domestic water to take with me on long journey's, but it still tastes the same after two weeks in a fridge. The problems lie with Tames water which supplies the south-east, including London. This company was sold to a German company which today has just been find a record £12.5m for wasting water through leaks ( 4,500,000 liters per day) and the bad quality of their water!!! Spencer.

You should read what you write, I guess you meant "Fined" not "find"......though they sound the same, they are not.

I find it absolutely correct that any company guilty of wastage or lack of quality to be fined....just because I live in Germany does not mean anything, although some people ON cr$ seem to find it interesting in a Ghoulish sort of way, what the Germans call "Schadenfroh"!!!! Childish is what I call it.....

Hi Andy, Please do not accuse me of "Schadenfroh", I love Germany and it's people! What I do not like is any company that takes it's customers for a ride!!!!! And yes you are right, my spelling mistake was unforgivable, but I have lived and worked abroard for many years speaking their tongues, so my English can be a bit scrappy sometimes. Spencer.

Maybe I did not explain properly, firstly, I was only pointing out spelling mistakes because many non-English first language people are on board with CR4, so when a mistake is made, even a simple one, they can have real problems understanding what you wrote....for me or you its not a problem, I am only thinking of others. I know you did not mean to make the mistake....

Secondly, I was not singling you out in particular with regard to being "accident Happy", there are many guilty of that that post on CR4, I do not understand why....!!

I am also sure that you yourself have no idea why so many are like that either....but you mentioned at least twice that it was a German company, in at least two posts......why does it matter where the company comes from? Why was there a need even to mention this more than once? If once even.....you were not alone either if I remember correctly.....so I was not just getting at you personally either....

But I still wish you a great "rest of the weekend" and only want to ask if you would be so kind as to explain your CR4 name please....its very interesting to say the least!

Hi Andy, I am very sorry if I misinterpreted you, and you are right, I cannot understand people who have a downer on Germans. I shall be going to Germany again next easter to visit my long known German friends there. My CR4 name, this is a mixture of two words, Scapolite is a common mineral and Olie is the Dutch word for oil, I put them together and came up with Scapolie! My hobby of 40 years has been collecting and studying minerals, oil because I worked in the north sea when oil was first found. I wish you a pleasant weekend. Spencer.

Many thanks for you kind reply and name explanation.

By the way, my Mother hated Germans and was mostly rude to my German wife whenever she could be....for no reason that I can think of that holds water!!

I was born after WWII and Monika a long time later.....

I hope that you enjoy your German Holiday.

What is childish is correting other peoples grammar. Is that a German trait. Try a drop of Grants and chill out old bean.

More so then correcting someone's etiquette?

Just curious what your call is on that. The lesser of two evils perhaps. I guess my sense is that it is a trivial matter between two individuals that don't require an arbitrator. Now if they were debating the right to express an opinion I could get drawn in.

I suppose that may be what drew me in here. Seems Andy is just expressing an opinion and you may see it as overly critical but it, in my opinion, doesn't seem to require a referee. But I suppose you are just expressing your opinion about his opinion. But then I suppose that is just my opinion about your opinion about his opinion and I could just be opinionated.

Now see what you done gone and started?

Are you sure you haven't started the morning with a wee tipple old friend ?. Have a pleasant day (English) as opposed to, A nice day (American), dont know what the German vernacular is.

Hi madbluemad, What is it with you, and why do you have such a downer on the Germans? Andy Germany is a fellow engineer, so show a little respect! Spencer.

Good Morning. There is nothing "with me" and I dont have a "downer" on Germans. I work with a number of German people and often visit Hanover and Hamburg in the course of my work. I have always found the German people to be friendly and helpful. I would suggest that you are feeling a tad techy this morning and cant find anybody else to shout at.

And on that bombshell this will be my last word on the subject

Not sure what "tipple" is but I may be the craziest person you don't really know, if that's any consolation to you.

Not sure I could be properly referred to as your "old friend" but whatever. I suppose we might consider that just a bit facetious and disrespectful here in the US. Perhaps not unlike using the less formal "du" when addressing a German with whom you are not at all aquatinted instead of the more formal "Sie".

Perhaps you meant no offense.

Oh my, I wrote "that don't require" clearly I failed to proofread that line.

The last line however was quite intentional. Just so y'all know.

Guten Tag.

Perhaps you have not up to now fully realized that this is not a private Blog for people who's first language is either English or American (there are major differences between the two!).....

I wrote in a previous posting, which either you overlooked or just did not read as I am sure if you had, you would not have posted in the way you did!

I wrote:-

"Maybe I did not explain properly, firstly, I was only pointing out spelling mistakes because many non-English first language people are on board with CR4, so when a mistake is made, even a simple one, they can have real problems understanding what you wrote....for me or you its not a problem, I am only thinking of others. I know you did not mean to make the mistake...."

Perhaps you will now realize that correct spelling is VERY important for someone who might have to look up a word or two in a dictionary and a bad spelling will put him completely off track......which I am sure you will agree is not anyones intention here, "old Boy"........

By the way, if it is a German trait to try and be correct, then I agree with you completely on that point.....it has probably rubbed off on me in the many years I have lived here......I have no problems with being correct or trying to be correct, obviously you do have problems in this area......but that is completely your problem, not mine!

Have a great day.

no one has mentioned the marketers. It is portrayed as fashionable to drink bottled water. Children are encouraged to do so at school and snared for life. In a taste test identical fruit was given to children, some in a McD package and some not. The children firmly believed the McD fruit tasted better. All you need is some celebrities to be seen to drink tap water OR REFILL A BOTTLE FROM THE TAP and the fashion victims out there will fall in line. My tap water tastes delicious, I will try and ensure my son suffers no marketing delusions, (however in Aylesbury it tasted awful). I have had to buy bottled water but resent it every time. It also produces a lot of plastic which finds its way into your other thread.

Why do humans drink water at all after what fish do in it? Yuk!